


Second Chances

by Rioghna



Series: If I could change the world. [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Holidays, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-07
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-14 21:25:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1279396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rioghna/pseuds/Rioghna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the changes to the timeline, Jack feels the need to reconnect with family.  So of course he decides that Christmas dinner is in order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Second Chances

“Ok, where is your roasting pan?” Jack asked as he dug through cabinets in the small kitchen of Ianto’s flat.

“Jack, this really isn’t necessary. I’m sure that everyone…” he said for the fifteenth time since Jack had made the suggestion. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in his partner’s abilities, but the idea of them hosting a giant Christmas dinner with all of their family and friends was enough to make anyone nervy. Besides, he wasn’t sure what would happen to his flat. Not that he really lived there mind, but it was convenient to have it in case he had to meet old friends, or if they wanted a night away from the Hub.

“I know it isn’t, but I want to do it,” he said, turning from his rummaging to lean on the bar across from his lover. “I…it’s been a long time since I’ve had a big family Christmas, since I have even wanted to. That thing, with the Doctor? I don’t know, it just, it changed things. I can’t explain,” he said finally turning back to his search. “What about a baking dish?” Ianto knew what he meant. Though he didn’t have Jack’s time sense, even he knew something had happened that night several months ago. He had woken from a sound sleep feeling as if he had lost something, only to find Jack clinging to him like a spar in a gale. The Doctor hadn’t been particularly forthcoming about what had happened, merely telling them that it was all sorted now, and they should get on with their lives, but it hadn’t stopped them from thinking about it.

“Alright then, so how many people are we talking about then?” he said, pulling out his PDA. “And we’re going to need a tree. Live I suppose?”

“Definitely. Can't be as big as I’d like, the ceilings just aren’t high enough. Why did you choose this place again?” The big immortal’s voice came slightly muffled as he checked the gas oven. 

“It was convenient, not like I actually live here anyway.”

“You could move, I’m sure that there are some places closer to the Hub.” 

“One project at a time, Sir. Now, about this guest list?” 

“Yeah, okay. Well, there’s Alice and her two, Gwen and Rhys…do you think we should ask the PC? What’s his name, Andy? He’s been a big help these last couple months. Oh, and your family, of course.”

“Of course,” Ianto said dryly, wondering if there was a way he could possibly get out of asking his sister and her husband. Maybe they would already have plans. “So that’s about twelve possible, thirteen if Andy brings a date. We are going to need more chairs,” he said, looking around the open plan lounge, trying to figure out where they were going to put everything and everyone. 

Two hours and several very long shopping lists later, and Ianto Jones was about at the end of his tether. Jack wanted to do everything right, he got that. But why now, why this year, and why by all that was holy did he have to start with the biggest, most extravagant holiday of the year? First there was the food. Jack wanted to cook, and while he had no doubt that in all his years of life, Jack had learned to cook, he wasn’t sure his kitchen would survive a full on traditional Christmas dinner, not to mention the clean up. He didn’t even think he had enough dishes, though that was easy enough to handle. Then there was the seating. His flat was open plan, one large room comprising dining room/lounge, so they could probably move the furniture back and put a table in, but once again, he had neither table nor chairs for the number of people involved, and there would be children. He didn’t know what do to with children.

Then there were the decorations. The tree was the easy part, but then came the ornaments. The only ones Ianto had himself were the ones he and Lisa had chosen, and he couldn’t see using them. They had returned to the Hub after a recon of his flat, and now Jack was down in his office, trying to concentrate on paperwork, but in actuality probably more focused on the proposed dinner. Fortunately for them, the rift was quiet today, and hopefully would be for some days to come.  

“Are you sure about the turkey, Ianto?” Jack asked as he walked into the room. “I mean it used to be goose, or a nice roast beef?” 

“Turkey will be fine, Sir. Remember, some of these people are still under the impression that you are American, and turkey is what they eat.” 

“OK, but maybe I should have both? I don’t know…”  

“We will get the menu sorted, Jack. I know this is important to you,” Ianto said, leaning over Jack, putting the coffee and the lists down next to him on the desk. And he did know how much it meant to him, but it didn’t make it any easier on him, or on Jack for that matter. “Meanwhile, what are we going…” He paused as there was a knock at the door and Lois Habiba stood, waiting for permission to come in. Even though Jack had an open door policy, the young PA was still a little formal around them. Jack motioned her in with a friendly smile.  

“Lois, come in. We’re just working on our Holiday plans. What about you? Back up to London with your family, or is there a boyfriend or girlfriend somewhere I should be jealous of?” 

“Nope, just me, and since I’m still going to be training here for a few weeks, I suppose I’ll stay. There is just so much to learn,” she said, ignoring the innuendo almost completely. She was brilliant, and handled Jack like a professional, which made the two of them all the more willing to take her under their collective wings. It didn’t take more than a look between them before Ianto was issuing the invitation and adding her name to the list.    
Lois Habiba had been hired at the Doctor’s behest and Ianto had never been happier. It had also been the suggestion of the Doctor that Jack finally deal with London. Oh, it would never be what it was before, and would remain under the control of Torchwood Cardiff, but the Doctor was right, it was still at least two hours to London on a good day and with Jack driving at his maddest and a police escort. After the fall of Torchwood tower, the team had just taken everything they could salvage and put it away in storage, leaving the rest to UNIT to clear up. After the loss of the Doctor and his belief that Rose was dead, Jack had just been unable to deal with it, and when he came back from his travels, he hadn’t had the time. Now they were starting over again. Martha Jones had agreed to sign on as chief medic and base commander and Jack had managed to track down Mickey Smith who was bored to tears and ready for the challenge. Mickey was going to handle tech ops and take the second in command. Ianto had been teaching Lois everything that she would ever need to know about archiving, paperwork and the care and feeding of a Torchwood field team, while Jack had been putting her through her paces on the firing line. There would never be an agent of Torchwood that couldn’t handle all contingencies again, though Jack was still looking for the right medic for Cardiff.  

That left the only remaining new member of the London team. She was also in Cardiff for training and like Lois, she came at the Doctor’s recommendation, though unlike Lois, Ianto really wondered why he had suggested her. Not only that, but there was something about her, something cold and vaguely reptilian that made him shiver when he saw her, like déjà vu. He knew that Jack had the same reaction, and he had said something about the world having changed, but he still didn’t like to spend a lot of time with her, and had been glad when she had volunteered earlier to take the watch so they could have Christmas dinner. While he was thinking about it, Ianto made a note to bring her a plate when they returned. Just because she made him uncomfortable, didn’t mean he couldn’t be polite.  
   
The thing about Commander Johnson ( he could never think of her as Rachel, and even Jack addressed her by her last name as they did in the military), was he didn’t know why she even accepted the job. Before they had approached her, he and Jack had run a background check so deep they had practically dug up her dead ancestors back to five generations. What they had found was a plan in place for attacking Torchwood, taking over the Hub and killing Jack should MI-5 ever find them inconvenient. Johnson had been quick enough to admit that she had been a part of that plan, just a soldier following orders, and Jack had dropped a few words in a few ears that meant not only was the plan scrapped, but those who had thought it up would be lucky if they got out with their heads, much less their careers. In fact, the UNIT general in charge of London had suggested a certain facility, but Jack had vetoed the idea, after a little more consideration that he usually would have given.    
In the end, though, Jack took the Doctor’s recommendation with more weight than the evidence against her and invited her in. That surprised Ianto a lot, but he had always known the Doctor’s word carried weight with Jack. That she accepted surprised him even more, and while she didn’t invite confidences, Ianto had asked her one day why she had done. What she told him was telling. “I’ve given up a lot for them, just doing the job. This offered me a way out before I lost my soul as well.” Ianto wasn’t sure what she meant, but she and Jack had gone into his office and had a long talk and while she would probably never be as relaxed as the rest, she seemed to have taken Jack as her commanding officer and she would do whatever was necessary to get the job done. Still he was glad he wouldn’t be required to try to explain her to his family. The rest were bad enough.    
“Are you sure it isn’t too much trouble?” Lois was saying as Ianto cleared his head and focused on the present.  

“Not at all,” he said, knowing that Jack’s word alone wouldn’t do. “One more round the table won’t even be noticed, and Gwen and Rhys will be there, and Andy Davidson, so you won’t be without anyone to talk to.” 

“Alright then. Do you need me to bring anything or do anything?”  

“Not right yet,” Ianto assured her, he was still not sure enough to get help. “But I’m sure I will before it’s over.” 

“Let me know then,” she said. “And Jack, I need those forms signed before too long if I’m going to get that equipment delivered before the hols.”

“I’ll make sure he does it,” Ianto said, cutting Jack off, and Lois retreated from the office, sensing that the two of them had more to discuss.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m not sure I can do it.” Jack said suddenly. The two men were standing outside a well cared for, but fairly nondescript, turn of the century detached house. Ianto said nothing, but put a hand on his lover’s shoulder. It had seemed like a good idea at the time he was sure. “I…I haven’t been back in this house since Alice’s mother threw me out. Lucia was always one for dramatic gestures. I told her she could keep the house, but she said she wanted nothing of me. I didn’t come back, just hired some men to pack it all away and clean up. They gave me a packing list before I retconned them, I didn’t even look to see what she took. I should have, but I just couldn’t.”

“Jack, it’s okay. If I had known, I never would have…” He didn’t know what else he could say. It started with a discussion of Christmas decorations, and the fact that he owned none, or none that he would admit to, and while facing down hostile aliens was something that Jack took for granted as all in a days's work, the thought of facing the shops at Christmas terrified him more than was probably healthy. There were too many places for things and people to hide, too much danger of civilians getting hurt if something broke out. Not that he really expected to get attacked at Queen’s Arcade, but Jack was always cautious about crowds. In the course of it Jack had mentioned the beautiful ornaments he had once had, some dating back to his first marriage at the turn of the century.

Ianto should have known better. They weren’t stored in any of Jack’s boxes in the Hub. But he had to ask, curious to know what such old ornaments looked like. Jack thought for a moment, and said they were probably in storage at the house. The house, rarely spoken about, was the Torchwood safe house. What few knew was that it actually belonged to Jack. Actually Ianto had only known when he was converting some old records to computer and found a mention of the deed and the rental agreement. He hadn’t known it was where Jack had lived with his family before they left him, his wife unable to face her own mortality any longer in the face of her deathless and ageless husband. Jack never said and Ianto never asked what the final straw was that ended the marriage, he figured that when and if Jack wanted to talk about it, he would. But he should have remembered that Jack never went there. Instead he asked if he knew where, and said how nice it would be to have an old fashioned tree. Jack had shrugged and after a search that involved his office, the archives, his old bunker under the floor, and two storage rooms in the Hub, the two of them had found a packing list of things stored away in the attic of the old house.

He was busy mentally berating himself for not checking the dates on the list when Jack turned to him. There were tears in his eyes. Instantly Ianto put an arm around his shoulders, not even checking around to see if they were being watched the way he usually did. “I thought that after all this time it would be fine, and I’m sure Alice would love to see some of those ornaments. There was a doll, a little porcelain one, it belonged to my first wife, she used to love to put it on the tree, a little dark haired angel so like her that I used to call it her guardian angel. I thought after all this time I could forget.”

 _But you can’t_ , Ianto filled in for himself. _You never forget, do you?_ Instead he took the keys from his nerveless fingers and turned his head towards him. “We don’t need them, I’ll go to the shops, I’m sure you trust my taste,” he said gently.

  
“No, we’re here, and I really would like to… I just can’t seem to make myself do it. I loved this house, my family.” This wasn’t getting them anywhere and Ianto wasn’t used to Jack breaking down like this. Whatever had happened or failed to happen three months ago, it had left some damage to Jack, already scrubbed emotionally raw from the deaths of Owen and Tosh, his own burial at the hands of his brother, guilt and pain, not to mention Daleks. But they would deal with it later, now all he wanted was to bring back the happy, enthusiastic Jack that had so driven him mad not a few hours ago.

“Then let me do it, just tell me where…” he started, but Jack waved his suggestion away. Taking a deep breath, he took the keys back.

“Just stay with me,” he said as he opened the big wooden door.

“Always,” Ianto said as they entered the foyer. The house was silent. Jack reached out automatically to the light switch on the wall, muscle memory still knowing where everything was. There was furniture, though he had no idea whether it was the same or not, probably not. He couldn’t see Jack living with the dated décor, not in a house that was probably beautiful in its day. In fact as he looked he could see Jack’s distaste with the bland but serviceable lounge suite.

“I had one of the other team members pick it out. I couldn’t deal and we needed a place to stash the odd out of town guest, I didn’t ask. This stuff was probably the height of fashion in ’75, I don’t really remember. In fact, the less I remember about the ‘70’s the better I like it. No style.” Ianto merely nodded and let him talk. There would probably be more as well, more stories and more tears, but later when they were at home, together. Jack led them past the lounge and up the stairs, not even pausing to look at the second floor, only a flick of a glance giving away how hard it was for him not to stop and allow himself to get lost it what was and never would be again.

It took them only another half an hour to find the three boxes. Jack decided to take all of them back, probably to make sure he didn’t have to come back again. Once they were stowed safely in the boot of the car, Jack turned back to lock the door. Ianto could see his hand shaking as he tried to fit the key in the lock. After a moment, he took it away from him and locked it himself. “It feels like walking away all over again,” Jack said softly when they were back in the car.

“Then maybe someday it will be time to come back?” he asked.

“I don’t know, it feels so… empty now.”

“Maybe someday it will be time to go back, but for now, I suppose we will have to make do with the storage room on sublevel three.”

“Is that a problem?” he asked. Ianto looked at him, curious and a little cautious. Jack wasn’t one to usually question things as long as they were going well.

“I haven’t complained, have I?” he said, trying to keep it light. “Although I might wish for somewhere bigger when we are having people over for a huge holiday dinner.”

“Would you like that?” Jack asked, serious.

“What?”

“You, me, a house without a pterodactyl in the rafters?” he said, trying to smile.

Ianto thought about it for a moment. Part of him wanted to just laugh it off and pretend that it wasn’t a serious question, one that they had danced around before. The rest of him knew that it was not what Jack needed right now. “As long as it’s you and me, I don’t care about the rest. Besides, what would Myfanwy do without us?  She would be lonely.” Jack smiled at him, but there was a ghost of something as he turned the car over. “Jack, it doesn’t matter.  Let's get through the holidays, and then if you want to talk about moving, we will talk about it, yeah?”

“All right.”

 

The sound of the doorbell startled Ianto probably more than it ought to have. He had just finished double and triple checking the table settings, glassware, and silver, and trying not to get under Jack’s feet. For his part, the immortal was banging around the small kitchen doing things which to Ianto, whose cooking abilities barely extended to not burning a pot noodle, were considerably more mysterious than the average alien technology. Jack had the little kitchen window open to let some of the heat out and was singing a surprisingly eclectic selection of Christmas carols in his clear baritone/tenor voice, while occasionally trying to get Ianto to join in on the choruses. He seemed completely in his element even though Ianto had never seen him cook before. When he asked, all Jack said was ‘no space or time’.

It was the complete opposite to a couple of days before when they had been decorating. Each glass ornament, each beaded snowflake seemed to have a story and Ianto had listened to each of them. There was the doll that had originally belonged to Evelyn, dead in the Spanish flu epidemic after the Great War, which had been a particular favourite of Alice’s, and the glass ornaments he had brought back from Germany on a Torchwood investigation. Then there was Alice’s handprint, laid in clay from playschool. Some of the stories were beautiful, some sad. Like the First Christmas ornament from his marriage to Lucia, which had been hastily put back in the box with a suggestion that they should check and see if Alice wanted it. The vintage seventies Christmas tree lights, Ianto had immediately dispatched as both ugly and hazardous.

They had drawn a tie on the candle holders that were actually meant to put real candles on the tree. Ianto had been sure they would set off the alarms but he had agreed to arrangements of candles on the bar and the table which they had actually unearthed at the hub. With the right linen the table was both elegant and unrecognizable as the conference table Jack had claimed it had once been. The gifts were wrapped and the house sanitized and as child proof as it was going to get, Ianto mentally checked off as he went to answer the door.

“Happy Christmas,” he said as he took the gifts from Alice Carter, inviting her into the flat followed by Stephen and Lucy. While he got the gifts under the tree and took everyone’s coat, Alice and the children moved into the lounge. Jack came around the counter just in time to catch both of his grandchildren in his arms to cries of “Uncle Jack, Uncle Jack”.

Turning away to give them some space, Ianto realized that Alice was staring at the tree, struck dumb by the little porcelain angel who had pride of place near the top. There were tears in her eyes as she tried to wipe them away while she reached out to touch the delicate creature. Sensing that she might need a moment alone with her father, he took Stephen and Lucy down the hall where they had moved the lounge tele and a stack of rented videos guaranteed by the shop attendant to be the latest things for children. After he settled them with the first video, he crept back down the corridor. It wasn’t, he told himself, that he wanted to eavesdrop, but that he needed to be close enough to answer the door.

“Dad, I don’t believe…after all these years. I had almost thought I dreamed her.”

“Nope, I…I just thought…” he stopped, unsure what to say. The Great Captain Jack Harkness at a loss for words. If it had been any other situation, Ianto knew he would be taking the mickey for weeks. Now he was waiting with baited breath to see if she would reject him and break his heart.

“What did you use to say, you called her something because I couldn’t say it properly?”

“Angelitta, my little angel, just like you,” his voice was so low Ianto could barely hear it.

“Oh Dad,” she said. Peering around the corner, Ianto could see her wrapped in her father’s arms. “I never hated you, you know. I just, I guess I was confused.”

“It’s okay, I just didn’t know what to do.” He leaned back and brushed the tears from her eyes. “No tears today. There’ll be plenty of time later, I promise. I won’t go away again unless you tell me to.”

“I know,” she said, cocking her head as she put a determined smile on her face. “Now shouldn’t you be cooking?”

“Yeah, would hate to ruin dinner. I’m not sure we could get a takeaway.”

“Not with this lot coming,” Ianto said, stepping into the room. “Can I get you a glass of wine or something Ms…er.” Even though he had met her before, Ianto was still not sure how he should address his lover’s grown daughter.

“Just Alice,” she said with a little smile. “And yes I would love one. Then you can tell me about who else is coming and what to expect. Dad always loved mad parties, but there was always the briefing, what not to say. Mum cared more than Dad, mind.”

They had just finished talking loud enough to be heard over Jack, who was singing again when the bell rang. As Ianto excused himself, he saw the look in her eyes as she followed her father hustling around the small kitchen and he knew everything would be all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those who are reading and enjoying. It's an old story, so I'm having some formatting problems, please bear with me.


	3. Chapter 3

At the door a pile of presents was standing, completely obscuring the person carrying them. “Oi, could you give us a shove in the right direction, can’t see a thing behind this lot,” Rhys called from somewhere behind a green box with red ornaments on. Ianto immediately set about relieving him of enough of his burden for him to make his way down the hall.

“Gwen, Rhys, you really didn’t need to do all this,” he said, wondering at the gifts and whether it was some sort of buying frenzy to do with pregnancy.

“Not at all, not that much really,” Gwen had said as he helped her out of her coat. She was starting to show nicely and she glowed with it. “But him over there won’t let me carry anything.” She kissed Ianto on the cheek and headed toward the kitchen where Jack had once again rounded the counter to make his greetings while effectively blocking the entrance to the kitchen to all.

“You do enough heavy lifting at work, don’t want you overdoing,” Rhys said, as he shook hands with Jack.

“We try to stop her,” Ianto said.

“Yeah, how’s that working for you, mate?” he said, narrowly avoiding the playful smack from his wife. Ianto just grinned. After everything that had happened, Rhys had gotten used to them and the mad life they lived. He seemed to enjoy it in a way, and they had sorted their earlier differences, much to everyone’s relief.

“Gwen, Rhys, this is Alice Carter, she’s Jack’s…sister,” Ianto said with specific emphasis. He was fairly sure that Gwen had told Rhys the truth but, just in case, it would help if he was in on the story. Starting to understand what her mother meant by briefings, he thought to himself as he smiled at them.

“Another one of them time travelers then? Bloody hell, it's…” He never finished. Gwen dragged him across the room without so much as word and began speaking to him low and frantic. Ianto didn’t hear more than the odd word but he was fairly sure he had just dropped the ball and was getting a bollocking for it. _Better now than when the others arrived,_ he thought philosophically, and slipped around Jack to pull a lager from the refrigerator.

Five minutes later they came back across the room, Rhys grinning sheepishly and Gwen with a determined look on her face. Ianto handed him the open bottle without a word. “When are you due?” Alice asked, and before they knew what was happening, the two women were deep in a discussion of pregnancy, back ache, swollen feet, and other things he was relatively sure men were better off not knowing about. Fortunately the doorbell rang again. “I’ll get it,” Rhys said suddenly, obviously just as eager to be away.

“Come on in, they’re in the other room,” Ianto heard Rhys boom. The quiet voice that followed he identified as Lois, and then Andy right behind her. He was starting to wonder if the PC had taken a liking to their most recent recruit. Certainly he seemed even more excited about his new duties as police liaison since she came, never missing a crime scene, even when he wasn’t on shift. It could be he was just keen to get on, but he had asked Ianto if Lois was coming and had specifically said he would be coming alone. There were more gifts from the new arrivals, this time just a couple bottles of wine, and some fancy biscuits in a tin, thank God. He put Rhys on getting their coats, and grabbed Andy a beer, just brushing Jack as he slipped by him. The immortal smiled before grabbing him and planting a very unselfconscious kiss on his neck while he tried to escape.

Alice just looked at him and smiled, reassuring him that his lover’s daughter was either alright with the situation or at least was enough like Jack that she wasn’t easily embarrassed. Blushing just a little, he passed the beer to Andy and settled into place as barman for what was rapidly developing into a proper party. Jack was still singing occasionally, the entire apartment was starting to fill with good holiday smells, and so far everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The bell rang and Rhys volunteered to get it while Ianto busied himself getting the last of the drinks. “Oi, gayboy,” he heard as he turned around. The boisterous voice could only be that of his brother in law, which made sense as everyone else had arrived.

“Leave off,” his sister Rhia said as she bustled into the room, trying to help Micah off with her mittens. “Get those presents under the tree and act like you’ve some manners.”

“He knows I don’t mean anything by it,” Johnny said, dropping his load of packages under the already crowded tree and holding a hand out to him.

“Yeah, cheers,” Ianto said, trying to pretend he wasn’t embarrassed by his brother in law. Of course, he had met both Gwen and Rhys’ parents at the wedding, but still this was the first time with Jack’s daughter and he didn’t want her to reconsider the two of them.

“I’m Rhiannon Davies, call me Rhia, everyone does. The big lug there is Johnny,” his sister said introducing herself, while he directed David and Micah down the hall where Stephen and Lucy had just opened the door to see what all the fuss was. Ianto took a moment to introduce his niece and nephew to Jack’s grandchildren and get the lot of them settled before the tele again, at least for a little while. After passing out drinks in plastic cups, and making sure they knew how to run the game console (his attempted explanation had earned him a pained expression from all concerned. Ianto Jones might know more about alien tech than any one hundred other people, but when it came to games, he was outclassed by a room full of primary schoolers.)

“Well I guess we know who the woman is, then,” he heard as he entered the lounge. Everything stopped. He was used to his brother in law mouthing off, but right here, right now, he wished Johnny Evans was someone else’s problem. There was a stormy look on Alice Carter’s face, and Gwen looked pretty close to going off herself. Jack either hadn’t heard him or was ignoring it, his back to them all at the cooker. But it was his sister that surprised Ianto.

“Button it up Johnny Evans, or you can just go back home,” she rounded on her husband at full volume. “Think you’re so clever do you? I’d like to see you put together a proper dinner. Actually I’d like to see you put together a dinner at all. Now, you apologize to everyone and go make sure the kids aren’t tearing up the furniture.”

After Johnny slunk off, conversation resumed, a bit forced, and Rhia joined Gwen and Alice to continue their in depth discussion about the perils of pregnancy. Ianto, feeling solidarity with the men, retreated to where Rhys and Andy had already started a discussion of the relative merits of various Rugby clubs and the talk of adding new countries and teams to the league. “I’m all for it,” Rhys said, as Ianto came to join them, coffee in hand rather than beer. It was going to be a long day and he needed his wits, besides there would be plenty of time for alcohol later. “It’ll bring more new talent, not to mention more fans, give it greater appeal.”

“Don’t know mate,” Andy said. “Could go like the Premier though, too much trading with too many places like. Never know where the players come from, not to mention taking spots from local boys.”

“Oi, everyone’s getting players from elsewhere, what about those two Somoan blokes the Blues have?” Rhys’ excitement about actually having something to say at this party was having him drop his h’s all over the place.

“Sure, everyone has one or two, but would you really want to see ‘em taking over?” the PC asked, taking a sip of beer as Ianto weighted in and waded in with his own opinion. They were deep into a discussion of injuries and statistics by the time Ianto saw Johnny creeping back into the lounge, clearly unsure of his welcome. He looking at Ianto and motioned him over, one weather eye on the kitchen and Jack and Alice. Ianto didn’t blame him, Johnny wasn’t a bad sort, but Alice looked like she was going to take his head off in defense of her father, and that would not have helped any.

“Listen mate, I’m sorry,” he said quietly when the younger man had reached him. “You know I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just, takes a bit of getting used to is all. I mean, I’ve known you since forever, and I’ve never had anyone…you know. I was just taking the piss, you know?” He looked like he was sorry, and Ianto decided to let him off the hook. After all there was no malice in Johnny Evans, he was just like most of the blokes Ianto had grown up with, ignorant and a little provincial, and he was okay with it.

“Yeah, I suppose. You’re a bit of an idiot, you know?”

“I know, but then you were always the smart one of us, weren’t you? You think I should apologise to him over there?” he asked quietly. Obviously Johnny was thinking now, and Ianto decided it should be encouraged.  

“Be a good idea,” he said casually. “Come on, I’ll get you a beer and you can have your say. Just don’t stick your foot in it again. Rhia’s like to slap you one if you ruin things, and Alice wouldn’t be far behind.”

“’Course she would, and every right too. Got to stand up for your brother, that’s part of family.” A few minutes later, when Jack had given Johnny a slap on the back that almost floored him and sent them off out of ‘his’ kitchen, Ianto relaxed. It didn’t look like the day would be too bad after all. He took a moment to check on the children, Stephen and David were busy playing some game on a handheld console, while Micah and Lucy had settled down with colour books while some brightly coloured animation played on as background. When he returned, Gwen, Alice, and Rhia, had finally finished discussing babies, and Rhys and Andy had accepted Johnny easily enough though, with the usual teasing about his name and football. Now they were all sitting round, discussing the holidays, at least he assumed that was the subject. Gwen was explaining how she had got them out of spending the day with either family, never mind both, with a hysterical imitation of her mother. Everyone was in stitches, including Jack, leaning on the counter in the kitchen, obviously finished for a time.

Ianto wandered over to Jack and his lover smiled as he slipped an arm around him. “All right?” he whispered as Gwen was winding down. The Welshman just nodded, it was comfortable where he was.

“Holidays must have been quite something at your house growing up,” Gwen said to Alice, making an effort to make her feel included.

“Mad, absolutely mad, especially when Dad was home and full of Christmas spirit,” she said with a laugh and a glance at the man behind her.

“Hey, it wasn’t all that…” Jack said indignantly.

“It was, but it was brilliant too. Lights and ornaments, and singing, Dad was always singing,” she said, stopping him from blowing the whole charade. Ianto breathed a sigh of relief and smiled in gratitude at his lover’s daughter.

“Like that one then,” Rhia said nodding to Jack.

“Yeah, he’s like Dad, the spit of him I would say.” There was a bit of laughter at this from the Torchwood side of the room, but before anyone could say, she continued. “Do you remember that song…the one that we used to sing around the holidays? You know what I’m talking about.”

Jack didn’t say anything for a moment, just nodded. Ianto could see the memories crawling behind his eyes, but he was holding together.

“Sing it, please? I’ve tried, with the kids but I can’t remember how it starts. Please.” Ianto ducked his head to hide his smile. There was no way Jack was going to be able to resist his daughter’s plea and it wasn’t as if he was shy. Dusting his hands on his apron, Jack came around the counter and stood next to his daughter.

Slowly he opened his mouth and began a song. It was hard to describe, beautiful, soaring, and somehow uplifting, and not even remotely in English, though every now and again Ianto could catch something that he knew was familiar. After the first verse, Alice joined him. Her voice was light and pleasant, though not as rich as her father’s, but still lovely and the two of them blended as though they had done it all their lives. When they finished everyone clapped.

“That was brilliant, mate,” Rhys said for all of them. “But what was it? I mean…” Gwen elbowed him surreptitiously, but the question was out there already.

“Not sure, actually. It was something that my…er Grandma picked up and taught us when we were little,” Jack said covering quickly.

“Regardless, it’s lovely. And thank you both for singing for us. All I ever got at home was off key versions of Rudolph.”

“I’ve never heard your mum sing,” Rhys said.

“Who was talking about Mum?” she said, and everyone laughed. The rest of the afternoon passed relatively quickly. The ice now broken, everyone settled down to have a good time. They discussed presents, but it was decided to wait 'til after dinner, as Jack puttered and pulled things in and out of the oven, put lids on or off pots, and pulled nibbles out of the fridge for Ianto to pass around.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who has come to dinner.

The meal had gone better than expected, Ianto reflected, as he sat outside the kitchen watching the clean up. Alice and Gwen had organized it, barring Jack from the kitchen and limiting his participation to sitting in the place that Jack’s daughter had vacated earlier to supervise. While they, with the help of Rhia and Lois, organized the packing of leftovers, surprisingly few considering the amount of food Jack had made, Rhys and Andy were relegated to the task of clearing and taking the leaves out of the table, and setting the living room back to rights, more or less. Jack, who should have been exhausted, was on the floor, paper crown still perched rakishly on his dark head with the children playing some game of their, or possibly his, invention. All in all it was a pretty good outcome. He toyed with his wine glass and reflected on everything.

Jack had served both a turkey complete with trimmings and a smallish goose. Ianto was still not sure how he had got them in the oven, but didn’t dare ask, not while there were civilians present. Then there were the roasted vegetables, sprouts, potatoes, mountains of buttered peas, and two bowls of gravy, not to mention chipolatas and stuffing for both birds. The audience was suitably appreciative, though Rhia had opined that it was a good thing that Jack could cook, since her brother may be God's gift to coffee, but if they waited for him to cook they would surely starve to death. Jack gave a cheeky grin and commented that it didn’t matter, as they had complementary skills. Ianto tried not to blush at that, but everyone laughed, and Lucy chose that moment to remind them that they hadn’t pulled their crackers, which distracted everyone for a while.

 

In fact there was only one disruption to the for once completely normal, noisy family holiday dinner, and that in itself a normal disruption. Between carving the turkey and carving the goose, David had decided to drop something in his sister’s hair. There was much screaming and flailing about as his sister screamed, and the team to their credit failed to draw weapons, though Jack did wave that carving knife a bit more than was necessary before they sorted it out. 

“Ahhh, there’s a reptile on her, get it off before it bites her,” Rhia shrieked.

“It is not a reptile, it is an amphibian,” he had said calmly. His sister always responded to calm. “A fire belly toad, I believe, though how it got to the table…” he paused and tried looking severe, though it was hard to even keep a straight face. Jack wasn’t bothering and Johnny had turned his back to grin after a stern look from Rhia. Meanwhile David and Stephen were trying desperately not to laugh themselves silly. 

“Stephen Joseph Carter, what did I tell you about bringing your pet today?”

“But Mum, I wanted to show Uncle Jack, and then…” he stopped, clearly not wanting to get his new friend in trouble, though it was obvious to everyone that he didn’t do it, sitting as he was on the other side of the table. Ianto quickly captured the creature and held out a hand, until David put the jar with holes cut in the lid and water in the bottom that was serving as a travel container into his hand with a sheepish look. 

“I will just take this,” he said standing up, giving Jack a look that dared him to say anything. He was obviously as amused as everyone else.    
“No,” all the children called out at once. 

“Christmas dinner is a time for family, and that…” Rhia started.

“But Charlie is family,” Stephen said. 

“He can sit by me,” Micah said, clearly not traumatized by her experience but enjoying her new position as center of attention.

“Yeah, he should be with us, we’ll take care of him. Not those nasty boys,” Lucy added, giving her brother a sharp look. After a short argument, it was decided that Charlie could stay, as long as he was in his jar, and the girls would look after him until dinner was over. Jack said nothing, after Ianto’s quelling look, but he firmly expected his lover to spend some time with the little amphibian after dinner. After that the rest of the meal was downright sedate. It appeared the children had bonded, as had Rhia and Gwen, while Alice was enjoying talking with both Lois and Andy, the latter still trying to get the new London operative to notice him.  
“Ianto, this platter?” Gwen called, pulling his attention back to present. 

“Lower cabinet, the one under the window,” he said, absently looking over at his lover, on the floor with only the two girls now, tickling Lucy while Micah tried to distract him. The boys had abandoned play for the handheld computer games that had been gifts from the two of them. Apparently they had sorted how to play two person wirelessly and were now in competition with one another while waiting. The children had each been given one present to open, to keep them occupied while the adults cleaned up. Rhys and Johnny had the table sorted and Rhia was giving them the bins to empty when the doorbell rang.


	5. Chapter 5

Ianto rose to get it, waving Rhys off. He really hoped they weren’t being too noisy but it was the holidays after all, and he knew for a fact that Mrs. Evans next door always went to her son’s in Abergavenny for the holidays. He opened the door, his best conciliatory smile on his face.

“Oi, Eyecandy, not going to invite me in? I’ve been hearing all about this festival they have on this mudball, thought I would stop by.”

“Ah, no, not him…” Rhys said from behind him before he could stop himself.

“What you doing here, Vera?”

“Ah, the lovely Gwen is here and all,” he said, stepping through the door past the stunned Ianto before the door could be slammed in his face. “I was told it is tradition to bring something to the party,” John added, dropping a large bottle of wine into his arms while stepping further in. “And who are all these other lovelies? Jack, you’ve been holding out on me.”

Jack had risen from the floor, and was looking at his ex partner in mild confusion. “I hadn’t heard from you, thought you had moved on,” he said.

“Nah, told you I wanted to see more of this rock. Been travelling. But enough about me, introductions…who are you?” he said, turning to Alice with his most seductive leer.

“This is Captain John Hart,” Ianto said hoping to sidetrack him. “He is an old…” the younger man paused, not completely sure how he wanted to describe the other man.

“We served together,” Jack filled in easily.

“What, in Napoleon’s army?” Andy said with a grimace, looking him up and down. John Hart was still wearing his officer’s jacket, over a black tee shirt that was at least clean, and a pair of black jeans almost tight enough to show his religion, if such a thing was valid on a 51st century bloke. He was also wearing both his pistols in plain view, though the sword was not in evidence and Ianto sent a knowing look to Jack. Weapons in plain view with the children around was a bad combination, fortunately they were all still in staring in awe.

“Nah, Gingercakes,” he said, eyeing Andy up and down. “That came after, quite a story, and I would be more than willing to share it with you anytime.”

“Stop it,” Jack said coming across the floor.    
“Just saying hello, and what about you, no kiss?” he said stepping up to Jack. “I’m sure Eyecandy won’t mind, will you?” John cast a passing glance over his shoulder at the other man before stepping closer to Jack. “I thought about popping round, a little while back, find out what you did. That time shift snapped back hard enough to make my teeth itch.”

“Why don’t you open that,” Ianto said, stepping in between them, handing the bottle to Jack with a look. “While I see to securing Captain Hart’s…er…hardware.” He grabbed John Hart by the arm and practically dragged him toward the bedroom where he kept the secure box. He may not have his scanner on him for all the rest but he could at least keep the overt weaponry away from the children.

“Oh, hey Eyecandy, you know I don’t mind it rough, but don’t I at least get a kiss first.” Ianto ignored him, hoping that while they were gone, Jack would find a way to explain this latest addition to their little family dinner.

“I always knew you wanted to get me in the bedroom,” John said as they stepped through the door. Ianto said nothing as he very carefully and quietly closed the door behind him. He turned, and before the other man could react, slammed him against the nearest free wall, hard enough to knock his head back and cause the pile of children’s movies and games to tumble to the floor.

“I don’t know what you want or why you’re here and I don’t really give a toss. This…this thing is important to Jack. After all he’s been through, all he’s lost, he needs it. And I’ll not have you or anyone else ruin that.”

“It’s not like that, Eyecandy…Ianto. I told the truth,” the former time agent said. At Ianto’s skeptical look he continued. “Yeah, I know, I don’t make a habit of it, not planning on changing that anytime soon and probably couldn’t if I wanted to, which I don’t in case you’re interested. I’ve been who I am for a long time now. But Jack, he’s got a chance at something different. I just wanted…I don’t know, forget it. Just wanted to make sure he was okay, that you lot were all right. Last year, I never meant what happened…” He ducked his head, not looking the younger man in the eye. Ianto just nodded and stepped away, not sure he really wanted to be sharing confidences with John Hart or that he wanted to be alone with him that long. He turned to the gun locker in the closet and opened it up. “That time shift, I don’t know but it changed everything, and I don’t know why.”

Ianto just nodded, they all felt that way. One day he would really like to know what it was the Doctor did. On the other hand, maybe he didn’t. Holding out his hand he said, “I’ll take those, and any other weapons you have on you.”

“Come on, Eyecandy, I told you…”

“There are children out there, and in here, now hand them over or get out.”

“All right, All right, keep your shirt on,” he said with his characteristic leer as he unbuckled the holster and handed it over, before removing a couple of knives from the sleeves of his jacket and another couple from his boots. “Or not, whatever works for you.”

Ianto ignored the suggestion. “Give me your coat and I’ll hang it.”

“Does this mean I get to stay?” John Hart said with a smile.

“For now, but if you put one toe out of line, I’ll personally feed you to the Torchwood incinerator.”

“Not that easy to kill Eyecandy,” he said easily, handing over his beloved jacket carefully.

“Who said I was going to kill you first?” he said deadpan. “I’ll see that you get a plate. Jack’s cooked enough for a largish army.” Ianto opened the door.

“Wonderful, he’s always been a good cook. I may have been the wife but he did all the cooking. My cooking would poison a Dvorian, and they can and will eat anything…and I mean anything. High acid digestion or something, anyway, my cooking is poisonous at best."

John hurried out of the room, obviously anxious for dinner or something. Ianto hurried along behind him, realizing for the first time how completely normal he looked. Okay, the boots were a bit different but with the tight tee shirt and skin tight jeans, the only way anyone could tell he wasn’t just a regular 21st century guy was the wrist strap, so like Jack's. Even that could be passed off as some kind of leather strap watch.

“John, where did you get this? I haven’t seen a bottle like this since…” Jack stopped, either thinking about it, or trying to decide if he could safely say something.

“Oh, you know, around. Thought you would appreciate it though,” the other man said, leaning against the table. Ianto looked at the bottle closely as Jack was pouring out small amounts in to some wine glasses from the cabinet wondering if there would be enough to go around, and if it was safe.

“It doesn’t take much,” Jack said, recognizing the look. “It’s kind of strong.” Ianto examined the bottle more closely. The writing was in a language that certainly wasn’t native to this planet, though he was fairly sure he had seen something like it in the archives. “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe,” the immortal assured Ianto, handing the younger man a glass before offering them around.

Behind them in the kitchen, Gwen was putting together a plate, while John looked around the room, first at those he recognized, Rhys, Gwen, Jack, and then at the others. He seemed particularly nervous about the children, glancing at them only to turn back to Jack when one of them looked his way. Finally he settled, casting flirty looks at Alice, Lois, even Rhia and Andy, causing his sister to blush and the PC to turn away, swearing. John took the glass that was offered and wandered over to where Alice was sitting next to Lois on the couch. “Hey there, beautiful, just where has he been hiding you,” he said, looking down at her with one of his trademark leers. “Or you, for that matter.”

“Oi, Vera, get yourself to the table. I gave you a bit of everything and there’s more than enough if you need more.” John dragged himself away from the ladies and settled into a chair as close to everyone else as he was able.

“Okay, a toast,” Jack announced, holding the glass aloft. “To the holidays, good food, family and friends, and of course, the presents.” They all seconded, and for a moment the room was full of the sound of glasses clinking and kisses and hugs being exchanged. Gwen even gave John a peck on the cheek, backing quickly as he tried to turn for more. She didn’t need that particular lesson twice, even though he was probably safe, for now.

John tried to split his attention between Jack passing out wrapped packages, and the plate of excellent food in front of him, so he was surprised when someone tugged at his sleeve. John started, unaccustomed as he was to anyone getting that close to him, but he managed not to react violently. “Why did Miss Gwen call you Vera?” the little girl asked, looking up at him. John wasn’t used to dealing with children, he never had been.

“Just a bit of a joke,” he said, looking down at her. She had Jack’s dark hair, and his smile, though not the blue eyes, and he wondered who she was. She certainly wasn’t Jack’s niece, his former lover had only had the one sibling and the less thought about him the better.

“It’s silly, Vera’s a girl’s name. You’re not a girl, are you?”

“No, I’ve been a lot of things, but not a girl. Wha’s your name, Princess?”

“I’m not a princess, I’m Lucy.”

“Well, you’re Princess Lucy, then. I’ll tell you a secret,” he leaned down and whispered to her. “All little girls are princesses, regardless of what else they are.”

“Lucy, I have one here for you,” Alice called to the little girl, and she smiled at John and ran back to the tree, while he watched, and wondered if this was what normal was.

“Get enough, did you?” the dark haired Welsh woman that Jack had identified as Ianto’s sister said to him. “There’s more if you like, I could get you some.” John turned on the smile, there was definitely a similarity in the trilling accent, though less stiff than Jack’s lover. Still, she was sweet looking, in a plush sort of way.

“Never enough for me,” he said, winking at her. “I’ll be glad to take whatever’s on offer.” Rhia tittered and blushed. _Not surprising_ , he though, _her husband or partner or whatever didn’t look the sort to know how to treat a woman. Of course there was a bit of rough charm there, very rough. I wonder what Eyecandy would do if I managed to cut the two of them out of this party. Not for keeps, mind, but it could be fun, a bit of native_.

“I’ll just…go and,” she blushed and took his plate into the kitchen, still blushing and giggling like a school girl. Looking the other way, he saw that the children were busy with piles of toys, while the adults were opening things at a more sedate pace. Jack was ripping into a package with his usual abandon, while his Welshman was carefully peeling back the corner of a box that was obviously professionally wrapped, probably from Jack. His ex-lover had always been the generous sort, at least he had been with him.

“There, now you tuck into that,” Rhia said, putting another loaded plate in front of him. “That Jack, he can’t half cook, and you look like you could do with a proper meal. No one at home to feed you up properly then?”

“Are you volunteering?” he said, winking at her again. “I bet you know what a man likes.”

“Oi mate, tha’s my wife you’re chatting up to.” Johnny Evans had finally noticed and was now standing a bit red faced next to her. “Stay away from that flash bloke,” he said to her. “You should know better, married woman you are, giggling like a schoolgirl.”

“At least he noticed, not at all like you. Too busy with your schemes, and your rugby, not to mention all the time you spend down the pub when you could be home with me,” Rhia said sharply, eyes flashing at her husband.

“Now you two, don’t fight over me. I don’t mind, I’ll be glad to share you both,” he said, smiling at the blond standing over them. Johnny opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He stood there, beet red, his thoughts stumbling slowly across his face while he tried to work out if he had been insulted, complimented, or propositioned.

Despite appearances, Ianto had been keeping half an eye on the table. As much as it disturbed him, Rhia seemed to be enjoying the attention. Not that he blamed her, the attention of someone like John, like Jack, could be overwhelming and Johnny was hardly love's young dream even before they were married. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t prepared to intercede to keep the peace. He nudged Jack and handed him a package with a significant nod.

“John, got something over here for you,” Jack called. John smiled at the still gaping Johnny and winked at Rhia as he rose with far more pantherish grace than Ianto thought strictly necessary.

“Excuse me, I seem to be wanted,” he said before prowling over to the chaos beside the tree. Jack slid over, making a space for him on the floor next to the settee, but away from Ianto and handed him a wrapped box.

John was obviously surprised and Ianto hid a smile. He had argued with Jack about the necessity of having a few extra presents, just in case, and he had been right as usual. Well, that and he enjoyed wrong footing John Hart.

Unlike Jack, John approached unwrapping with caution; as if he thought it might explode. Ianto made a mental note to ask, but it seemed as if he had never opened a wrapped gift before. Having gotten the end undone and at the urging of most of the room, he tore the rest of the paper away, revealing a very fine bottle of twenty year old scotch whiskey. John smiled, instantly grasping that it was alcohol if the exact specifics escaped him.

“Go easy on it, it’s like that Taxillian Brandy we got that one time, not that rotgut you usually drink.”

“Hey, I’m quit, reformed my ways,” he responded. Jack made no attempt to hide his derision and John, trying his best to look both offended and innocent, only managed to keep it a few minutes before joining the laughter.

“We could return it,” Ianto said, reaching for the bottle. His face was perfectly straight, only his eyes giving away the joke. “I suggested a tie.”

“Only if you’re going to help me with it,” John said, giving him and Jack both his most suggestive look.

“Ah, leave off, you’re worse than him,” Andy said in disgust.

“Feeling left out, Gingercakes? I’m sure I could fit you in.” The PC went red from the roots of his hair down, but the general laughter was good natured.

“He’s too much for you, Vera. He’s already got the handcuffs,” Gwen bantered.

“I can work with that,” John smiled, but Jack had just pulled out another present, this one for Ianto’s sister and attention immediately went back to the task at hand.

Rhiannon exclaimed excitedly over the beautiful silk scarf in her package, while Jack gave another present to Lucy and Ianto handed one over to Rhys. John pulled himself and his bottle off the floor and moved to where Alice and Lois were sharing the settee. “There any room for me to squeeze in, ladies,” his flirtatious smile firmly in place.

“I don’t think there’s enough room,” Alice said.

“Oh, you’d be amazed at where I can squeeze in.”

“Somehow I doubt that.” This time it was Lois who took on the former time agent. At least she had a brief on John Hart, though this was her first in person experience and whatever else he might be, John Hart was an experience.

“John.” There was a bit of warning in Jack’s voice. It was just a hint, but John filed it away, just in case.

“Just getting better acquainted. You know me, I’ve always liked to be on good terms with you and your staff.”

Ianto, who had the misfortune to be taking a sip from the glass of whatever alien alcohol John Hart had brought sputtered, gasped once, and proceeded to dissolve into a coughing fit as the liquor burned its way down to his lungs. Jack slapped him on the back hard enough to leave bruises and Gwen handed him a glass of tap water before he pulled himself back together. He glared at John who gave him a cheeky grin before returning to his attempts to squeeze into the settee and possibly into one or more of the women’s good graces.

  
After a few moments it became clear that the rest were going to be children’s gifts. That meant all four of them, at least he thought there were only four, it was hard to tell with them all moving at once, like Volkenian water cats. It was getting a bit close in the small room. Besides, John had never been over keen on family gatherings, too many bad memories, not that his family had ever been anything like this, far from it. John unfolded himself carefully and slipped out through the glass doors to the tiny plot of grass that served as Ianto’s back garden.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which John Hart learns a few things, and Jack is a father.

John wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there when he heard the door open. He was expecting Jack, possibly Ianto, or even Gwen, so when Alice Carter came through the door it was quite a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. He had been curious about the woman since they had been introduced, but it quickly became clear that not everyone invited to this party had clearance. 

“Oh, sorry,” she said, spotting him. “I didn’t realize…”

“That’s all right, it’s a free…well, let us say you brighten the place considerably.” John was trying for gallant until he sorted out her place. Jack certainly seemed protective. 

“I don’t…really. I quit, but I still feel the urge to step out, you know, force of habit.” John just nodded like he knew what she was talking about, while he studied her. “I will admit to a bit of curiosity about you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said with a smile.

“You know Jack very well, and I don’t think you are from around here.”

“I’m not the only one with secrets. Jack’s never your brother. He doesn’t have a sister, and only the one brother. Who are you to him? Former lover, wife? Those children, they have the look of him, especially the boy, he has his eyes. But as you say, I know Jack, I can’t see him happy as an uncle if they were his. So Alice Carter, who are you? You tell yours, I’ll tell you mine, at least some of them, the ones about Jack.”

“Jack’s my father.”

John had to give her credit, she knew how to drop a bombshell. He took a moment to add this to the information he already had. It was one thing to know that Jack couldn’t die, to accept intellectually that he was over two thousand years old, especially after what he had personally helped do to him, but the everyday of it, living a day at a time, on the same world, lifetime after lifetime? That was another pot of eels or whatever that expression was. He studied her carefully. It was there if you knew where to look. “Bloody hell, thought he wasn’t going to do that again. Explains a lot,” he said. “Never thought Jack would settle down, at least I hadn’t ‘til I met Eyecandy in there. But then Jack always cared more for family than I did, regardless of what he said.”

“What did you mean about a brother? Dad never said.”

“Ah, now that’s a story that’s best left to your father, when he’s ready. I…that one I can’t tell. Sure there aren’t others you’d like to hear?” He gave her a salacious grin.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” she said with a grimace. “How long have you known each other?”

“Linear time? That’s an awkward one. Personal time line, a bit more than fifty years, I think. Jack’s timeline is complicated, though. I think it has probably been about twenty-two, maybe twenty-three hundred years?”

Alice sat in shock. Fifty years, ok, that was easy. It hadn’t taken much to sort that John Hart was at least from another time, if not an actual alien, though he could be for all that. But that her father was over two thousand years old? Suddenly she understood the sadness in his eyes when he thought she wasn’t looking. Alice had long ago accepted intellectually that her father would bury her, the way he had buried her mother, the way she now understood that he would bury everyone, Ianto, even the entire city of Cardiff theoretically. It was overwhelming and not something she wanted to think about now. 

“Looks good for his age doesn’t he?” John Hart said, trying to get her back.

“Yes, but then unless you met Dad when you were both kids, so do you. Are you…” she started then paused, not sure how to ask or how personal the question was. 

“Ask,” he said, voice giving nothing away.

“Are you, well, human?” she said, hoping she wasn’t being horribly rude.

“About 85-90%, I think, about the same as Jack. Close enough to tick the human box under species in most places. But if you’re asking was I born on this mudball, the answer is no.”

“Where did you meet?” she asked, vaguely aware that she should get back but fascinated and definitely not willing to give up the chance to ask questions of someone who knew her dad in a way she didn’t. Not that there were some things she wanted to know. It was hard enough that his new lover was younger than she was, but he was her father and one just didn’t want to think of parents and sex in the same thought, ever. Besides, if he waited for someone even close to his own age, he was out of luck, and as much as she didn’t want to think about it, she couldn’t picture her father as celibate. Just as long as he was happy.

John happily launched into a story, deliberately vague, timelines, he said dismissively, of the first time he met Jack. Her father was in the middle of a fight against four other guys, two of them bigger than he was. 

“So tell me,” he said, having finished that story. “What about you? Partners, husband, whatever it is they go in for in this backward century?”

“Single, and not that it’s not flattering or would be if you weren’t like Dad and flirted with everything.” John gave her what he tried to pass off as an innocent look. “It’s a bit odd to be trying to get over with your ex-lover’s daughter, don’t you think?”

“Oh, I don’t know, there are all kinds of things to be learned,” he said with a leer that was more showy than serious. “Mind you,” John said, sliding an arm round her shoulders, “Jack’s gone provincial living here. I get the feeling he might actually take my head off, not to mention other parts I am definitely attached to, if he thought I was getting close. How’d you manage to have two kids?”

“Let’s just say that my ex is still breathing only because of those children.”

“Still, it would be fun,” he said, leaning close to her. Alice laughed. For some reason she found herself liking John Hart. He was even quite attractive, or would be if she could get past the fact that he used to sleep with her father.

The sound of the door opening and closing and the two of them turned to a sight neither of them expected nor wanted.

“John, get your hands off my daughter.”

The voice wasn’t loud or particularly angry, but John Hart had known him for a long time. He knew that Jack was at his most dangerous when he was quiet. Very carefully he turned around, letting his arm slide from around Alice’s shoulders. He had contemplated teasing his former lover just a bit for the second and a half it took for self preservation to remind him that first, it was Jack’s daughter, and, second, that while Jack was immortal, he wasn’t and there was no way to win. “Nothing to see here,” John said, holding both his hands up and trying to look harmless.

“There had better not be,” Jack growled softly.

“Dad…” Alice started.

“Sweetheart, you don’t know what he’s capable of,” Jack cut her off.

“Hey, I’ve been on my best behaviour,” John said ,though he decided not to put his hands down quite yet. 

“Since when would you consider trying to seduce my daughter anything but best behaviour?” 

John looked at him, but had no answer, he had him there. Any other time in any other place, and he’d have agreed. But things had changed, he had changed, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to explain it to Jack. Certainly he didn’t want to do it here and now. 

“Dad,” Alice said, sharper than before. The voice was feminine, but John knew that tone all too well and he took a careful step away from the woman who had just made it clear whose side she took after. 

“Alice,” Jack said a lot softer than before. “I’m not…”

“I’m not a little girl anymore, Dad,” she said with a voice that could cut solid titanium. “If I want to take up with your ex… whatever the two of you were, no, I don’t what to know,” she said, waving off any attempt either of them thought of explaining it. 

John Hart was just starting to realise that it was bloody cold out in the garden in just his shirt sleeves, and he wanted very much to be anywhere that was both warmer and not near this conversation. He had never been good with family drama, probably why he’d never seriously thought of having one, well not really seriously, not after Jack. That was definitely not a comfortable thought either, so he turned back to watch as father and daughter matched wills. 

“Then I will do, and nothing you can say will change that, anymore than it ever did. Don’t think I have forgotten the background checks you ran on everyone I ever dated.”

“I was just…”

“Looking out for me, yeah, that’s what you said at the time, and so did Mum, but I am not that little girl anymore. I have to make my own mistakes.”

“But I’ve already made that one and…”

“Oi, still here, thanks,” John said, not sure how he felt about being considered one of Jack’s mistakes. They had been good together, at least for a while.

“I know, and you’re just trying to protect me and all that. But regardless of what you may think of my taste in men, I hadn’t planned on going there.”

“But…” John said, with his best leer.

“But…” Jack said, looking a bit lost. Alice started toward the house before turning back toward the two men.

“Dad, next time, ask first. There are a lot of things I don’t mind sharing: the kids, occasional dinners, even holidays. But I draw the line at lovers. Don’t stay out in the cold too long,” she said with a familiar smile and went back into the noisy flat. 

Jack and John looked at each other, gobsmacked. “She’s your daughter,” John reminded him.    
“She is that,” he said, noticing for the first time that John was starting to shiver, and he wasn’t feeling too warm himself. “Best get back in before Ianto decides to get jealous. Either that or that I’ve killed you. You have a place to stay tonight?” Jack asked, dropping an arm over the smaller man, sharing a little warmth. 

John shook his head noncommittally. The decision to drop in on them had been last minute and, while he was secretly hoping that Jack would ask him to stay, he wouldn’t bring it up himself. There was always a warm body to be found down the pub or at any number of bars or clubs, someone lonely who wouldn’t mind another warm body to keep the cold away. He knew it was sad, but he just couldn’t seem to stay away, even though he kept hoping that one of these days Jack and Ianto would invite him to really stay with them, even though he knew the hope was slim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. The delay has been caused by a technical glitch but I think its sorted.


	7. Chapter 7

“Come on, you can come home with us,” Jack said, leading them toward the door.

“Is that an offer?”

“In an empty cell. This time we might even leave the door open.”

“Awww, I was so hoping, I still have those handcuffs…”

“Be good, or Ianto really will make you sleep in a cell.”

“I can work with that.”

It was quiet in the room that Jack and Ianto had called home for over a year. Ianto closed the door behind him, careful not to spill the tray with the coffee. Jack Harkness was lying back on the settee in the underground room that served as living quarters for the two of them as Ianto came in with the last coffee of the evening. “Comfortable?” he asked. His lover had changed, putting on the silk robe that Ianto had bought him, one of the presents that they had decided to exchange privately. While the team knew about them, some things just needed to stay private, like the new handmade leather journal with his initials and the Torchwood logo tooled into the cover, proof that Jack knew him very well.

“Getting there,” Jack said with a smile, patting the space beside him. Looking at him, hair still slightly damp from the shower, blue eyes sparkling with a combination of mischief and desire, reminded Ianto of some of the other presents, definitely private. Jack had presented him with a small mountain of gifts, but when he objected, the immortal had simply said if there wasn’t anything he could do to make their lives less than insane, the least he could do was let him spoil him a bit. It wasn’t like any other part of their lives was normal. Ianto had thought about protesting, but the obvious pleasure it gave Jack had been enough to shut him up. He’d merely asked his lover to pick a couple of appropriate ones for the public exchange and then amended it to things that he, Ianto, would find appropriate in public. Over a hundred years on Earth and still Jack had some funny ideas about what was and was not appropriate.

“Everything all right out there? She hasn’t killed him yet, has she?” Jack asked.

They had brought John Hart back with them from dinner. It turned out that the ex-time agent had literally just blown into town and yet, like Jack, Ianto figured having him where they could keep an eye on him was better than either having to bail him out or clean up after him. What neither of them counted on was his reaction to Johnson. When they had entered the Hub bearing an overloaded plate of leftovers (Jack had never heard of portion control either) and a gift from him and Jack that had accidentally gotten in the wrong pile, she had been surprised. Johnson knew that the team was uncertain about her, but that hadn’t seemed to bother her. Being included in the gift exchange had surprised her, though she had gifts for them. Everything about the woman made Ianto curious, but not enough to ask.

John Hart had laid eyes on her and was instantly smitten though, and not in the way he usually was with just about anything moving. Jack had seemed only slightly surprised before shrugging. John liked to play it dangerously, they both knew that. After introductions, Johnson opened her gift, an extremely rare book on orchids Jack had found. Ianto, usually the first to know anything, had not even known she liked orchids, much less that raising them was her hobby, but Johnson was even more private than he was, and that took work.

All the while, John Hart had sat nearby just watching. Johnson had blushed, actually blushed, and stammered her thanks while Ianto offered to heat her dinner and Jack practically dragged John off the show him to show him where he was sleeping and probably warn him off, though maybe not. After a status update, Ianto had suggested a shower for Jack, who had been in the kitchen all day, while he made coffee. When he emerged, John Hart had returned to his place on the edge of the desk, in full flirt mode, while discussing the merits of various firearms in medium range combat situations. He left them to it, having much better things to do with his time.

“Not yet,” he answered, setting the coffee down and tugging off the burgundy jumper that Gwen and Rhys had given him. “I trust that if she does, she’ll have him taken care of, with the paperwork filled in, by morning. Unlike some people, she knows how to follow procedure,” he said, as Jack pulled him down against him. For a few moments there was no sound but rustling fabric and the odd creak as the two men got comfortable together on the old couch, not as easy as it might seem for two men who were of a height.

Once they were comfortable with their coffee, Jack went back to the subject at hand. “Are you saying I don’t know how to handle paperwork?”

“No, I am saying you choose not to.”

“Hmmmm,” was Jack’s only response as he relaxed slowly against his lover.

“Overall, I think it went well,” Ianto said after a moment.

“Yeah, the kids got on well. Lucy and Micah exchanged email addresses and I think Rhys and Johnny made plans for the rugby,” Jack said, trying to pull Ianto back as he reached for the coffee but unsuccessfully.

“We’re invited as well, barring alien invasion, and Andy managed to get the nerve to ask Lois for coffee when they left. Very successful, I’d say.”

“Good, I was thinking of doing it again.” Ianto, in the process of sipping his coffee, took a deep breath while forgetting to swallow and dissolved in coughing.

“Not until next year, I was thinking Easter?” Jack said, after the coughing had subsided. Ianto gave him a baleful look, but Jack carried on. “Right now, I am more interested in putting at least one more of those gifts to use.” Before Ianto could do more than smile, Jack had him and the box in question gathered and was guiding him behind the screen that hid their bed. _Everything would take care of itself,_ Ianto decided. After all, it was Christmas. “I’m thinking lamb…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we come to the end of this one. thanks to all who have read and commented. Glad you enjoyed. I will be posting some of the others. There is a sequel to this but its still in progress and I've not had time to work on it for a bit.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second part of the series. Please remember that the time line has changed so there are a few differences. Please read, review etc.


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